Conventionally, cook top appliances have been largely dependent upon a user monitoring the cook top during use in order to prevent undesirable temperature levels and/or prolonged periods of heating such as e.g., when a heating element is left on after cooking a meal. During use, it may be visibly apparent that a particular heating element is activated. For example, with a gas burner, the user may be able to see the flame. With an electric resistance (aka coil) or electric radiant cook top, the heating element may provide an orange or red glow indicating a high temperature.
There may be times, however, when there is no visual indication that a heating element is activated or at high temperature. By way of example, some heating elements do not necessarily emit light or otherwise indicate their energized status at all times during operation, particularly at low power levels (such as “Simmer” or “Warm”). Also, even if it is visually apparent that a heating element is activated, visual inspection may not reveal the actual temperature level such that the user may not appreciate that an undesirable temperature has been reached if the user is not otherwise carefully monitoring temperature. For example, an undesirable temperature may include one at which food can be burned, the cook top appliance can be damaged, contact with the user is undesirable, a cooking oil could be ignited, and others. Alternatively, the temperature level of a heating element may be undesirable simply because the heating element has been left on for a prolonged period of time during which the user is not actually using the cook top. Similarly, even after the heating element is turned off residual heat in the cook top surface (or in the case of a gas cook top, the metal support grate above the burner) can remain hot for a considerable period of time.
In the case of electric radiant and induction cook tops the heating element generally contains a temperature-sensitive switch that controls the illumination of a visual indicator somewhere on the cook top surface, typically near the control knobs or touch pad. However, this indicator is generally small and hard to perceive over wide viewing angles, and generally is not positioned where the cook top is actually “hot.” In the case of electric resistance (aka coil) and gas cook tops no such temperature sensitive switch is easily implementable, therefore direct monitoring of the heating element temperature is not performed, and, generally, no visual indicator is provided.
Several challenges are created for the design of features for monitoring the temperature of a cook top and providing notifications and/or remedial responses based on such temperature measurement. For example, cook top appliances can include a variety of configurations for the heating elements located on the cook top surface. The number of heating elements or positions available for heating on the cook top can include e.g., four, six, or more depending upon the intended application and preferences of the buyer. These heating elements can also vary in size and location along the surface of the cook top. Further, the types of heating elements available include, for example, gas burner, electric resistance (e.g., hot coil), electric radiant, and induction. As such, when a cook top and range hood are not purchased by a consumer as a complementary pair, challenges are present in providing a range hood that is equipped with temperature measuring features that will work with the wide variety of cook top configurations and types including differences in the number of heating elements. Additionally, the range hood cannot necessarily rely on communication with the cook top appliance since the cook top may not be equipped for such communication and/or may not e.g., include any temperature monitoring features.
Accordingly, a range hood with features for detecting temperatures on a variety of cook top types and configurations would be useful. Such a range hood that can detect the temperature conditions on a cook top and also provide notification to the user and/or undertake other remedial responses if temperature conditions exceed one or more predetermined levels would be particularly beneficial.